Match Racing World Tour Supported

ISAF Annual Conference 2005

Singapore

The final day of meetings of the ISAF Council brought the decision making process to an end for this year as the ISAF Annual Conference draws to a close in Singapore. After the Olympic Format was decided yesterday, today match racing took centre stage as the ISAF World Match Racing Tour received the approval of Council.

ISAF President Göran PETERSSON (SWE) opened the final day of Council meetings this year, after yesterday securing near unanimous support on his late submission 025 on the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition Format. Along with the proposal to launch an ISAF World Cup, this key submission looks set to launch ISAF's efforts move the Olympic Classes back to the fore front of the sailing world. The great strides in the Olympic Classes will also be mirrored in the match racing world after today's recommendations from the ISAF Match Racing Committee chair Henry MENIN (ISV) were accepted.

Starting from 2006, the ISAF Match Racing World Championship will no longer be held as a single event. Instead a World Tour will decide the World Champion. Meanwhile in 2006 the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship will be hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Racing Rules Committee proposed a change to submission 147 on quick release harnesses, which will now see their mandatory introduction delayed until 2009. Committee Chairman David TILLETT (AUS) explained the change saying, 'It's important that sailors recognize the safety issues here and it's just as important to ensure that the right equipment is in place and an appropriate standard developed.'

A recommendation from the ISAF Classes Committee for the Olympic Classes Commission to become a Sub-Committee of the Classes Committee was supported, as was the recommendation of the Events Committee to use the Neil PRYDE RS:X in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 ISAF Youth Worlds. It was also decided that Regional Games gain an ISAF Grade 3 status, with the possibility of an ISAF Grade 2 status for particularly well attended events.

The meeting then took a note of the forthcoming meetings which for 2006 will take place as follows:

Finally the President brought the ISAF Annual Conference 2005 to a close, with a thank you to the organizers from Singapore, including ISAF Vice-President Teo Ping LOW who is also President of Singapore Sailing, Edwin LOW, Secretary General of Singapore Sailing, May LING and Shu FEN with gifts of appreciation.

ISAF would like to extend their thanks to the welcoming and amiable hosts, Singapore and to all who made the Conference such a success. See you in Helsinki…

Look out for a full round up of all the debates and decisions from Singapore on www.sailing.org next week.